Elections 2016: Corbyn needs 'Super Thursday' boost to cement position

VOTERS go to the polls across Yorkshire to elect local councillors and their police and crime commissioners today.

Craven and Harrogate, both currently held by the Conservatives, are the only North Yorkshire district councils holding elections this year.

All the councils in West Yorkshire and all in South Yorkshire except Doncaster are also holding polls.

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In the east of the region, Hull and North-East Lincolnshire councils are holding elections.

The majority of councils will see one-third of seats up for grabs but Sheffield and Rotherham are all-out polls where every councillor faces re-election.

Rotherham Council was ordered to hold an all-out election as part of the Government intervention last year following a a highly critical inspector’s report.

Sheffield’s all-out election follows changes to ward boundaries with the authority set to revert to one-third elections in the coming years.

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In the all out elections, voters will have several votes in each ward depending on the number of councillors to be elected.

Every voter in the region will have the chance to select their police and crime commissioner. The voting system for PCC elections gives voters a first and second preference.

The sheer volune of elections taking place has seen today dubbed “Super Thursday”

Across England there are council and police and crime commissioner elections while voters in London will choose their powerful mayor.

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The Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly and Northern Ireland Assembly are also holding their elections.

The stakes are arguably highest for Jeremy Corbyn in his first electoral test since his surprise victory in the Labour leadership election last year.

Already facing major criticism from within his own ranks, Mr Corbyn will be hoping to defy expectations and secure his short term future with significant council gains and, in particular, a victory in London for Sadiq Khan over Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith.

In Yorkshire, Labour will hope to hold onto its narrow majority in Bradford and dare to dream of securing a majority in Calderdale where it currently forms a minority administration.

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Labour will also want to see signs in Rotherham that Ukip’s rise in support in recent years, which has seen it become the main opposition party on the council, is slowing.

But council gains for Labour could prove hard to come by given the bulk of the seats being contested this year were last up in 2012 when the party was faring well in the polls.

Last year’s demolition in the General Election followed several years of disappointing local election results for the Liberal Democrats and leader Tim Farron needs to signs that the public’s hostility to the party is abateing.

They are looking for gains in Harrogate, Hull and Sheffield where they have previously enjoyed success and are pitching themselves as the only realistic alternative to the party in power.

Conservative insiders have expressed concern that their supporters’ obsession with the EU referendum may have had an impact on their local election campaigning.